Conservative or Liberal, Deist or Pagan, Jersey transplant or Lehigh Valley native, we're all in this mess together. Let's talk. Let us do no harm. Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne

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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

President Panto?

Though he and other presidents before him have done it in the wake of mass killings, President Barack Obama has so far failed to order United States flags to be flown at half mast in memory of five Marines senselessly slaughtered in Chattanooga. His lack of leadership on this matter is no surprise. But is that a reason for Easton Mayor Sal Panto to assume federal jurisdiction himself?

Panto seems to have done it for the public attention. "It's 95 percent pro, 5 percent against," he told The Morning Call, paying close attention to his fawning Facebook fans and a looming interview on Fox.

But Panto is wrong. He has no more authority over the American flag than Obama does over Easton's.

I get very leery of local officials who decide which federal mandates they are going to follow and which they will ignore.The only real difference between Panto's defiance of federal authority and that demonstrated by Governor George Wallace is one of degree. In both cases, they are wrong.

The Facebook posting really was too much. He's now set a standard and will have to lower the flag each time a service member dies and somebody urges him to do so. Otherwise, he'll look like he's minimizing their deaths. The flag code exists for a reason. For a so-called teacher, he has a stunning lack of civics knowledge.

At odds with Panto, at odds with Pawlowski, at odds with open space, at odds with stormwater, at odds with campaign finance laws, at odds with urban renewal, at odds with County Exec, at odds with.......yawn

It must be exhausting to be so miserable, negative and pathetically bored and angry every single day

Cheer up Bo, Commonwealth is about to cut a deal with a child rapist.....you should be happy.

"Even if he did it for the publicity, flying the American flag at half-staff to honor our military tragedy seems appropriate. Easton was mentioned on Fox News this morning."

Is it "appropriate" bc Easton was mentioned on Fox news? Is it appropriate when a sheriff refuses to enforce a federal or state gun law because he believes it to be unconstitutional? This is the start of a slippery slope.

Since the subject of a "slippery slope" and gun laws was brought up, I notice that Allentown is re-introducing their ILLEGAL gun law requiring residents to report lost or stolen firearms.

Mind you, they recently repealed the law when they worried that groups like the NRA could sue them, but are now introducing the law since an average citizen probably doesn't have the time and money to fight it.

Never mind that it was never used in the 8 years it was in force, or that DA Martin said the previous law was illegal and urged police not to enforce it since it is solely the state's jurisdiction to enact firearms laws.

It seems the City of Allentown has taken the posistion to take the publics eyes off the total lack of over-site of The City's contracts.City Council also wrote a blank-check to a high end defense lawyer to represent Their best interests at tax-payer expense

9:54, i don't wish to drift too far afield, but you get my point. Condemn the president for not ordering the flags lowered. But do not take it upon yourseelf to assume his role or that of Governor, who may also be empowered to order flags lowered.

The flag code expressly gives governors the authority to lower flags to half staff when military members die. Why are people hammering Obama? Oh, right, because they like to criticize him.

In the states who had members die in the TN shooting, the flag was ordered lowered by their governors. This is as the flag code provides - and it makes sense - it's a local thing. These are the states who lost a son or daughter. This is a flap over NOTHING.

Go ahead and moan about the president because you like to. Nobody gives a damn, because you've been moaning for 6-1/2 years. It's just white noise at this point.

It's ridiculous to even attempt to justify Obama's lack of leadership here. This is something both he and other Presidents have done in response to other mass killings. It should have been done here. His failure speaks volumes and your anonymous defense shows you lack the courage to stand behind your words.

Having said that, Panto's decision was a mistake and the start of a slippery slope.

May be Panto's way to appear on Fox news and change his party to Republican. Fox news and Panto have a common issue. Let's watch and report later. Pistol Pete started this debate with his wife calling Panto, now where are his comments?

Indeed, the White House web site does not record President Obama’s having issued any proclamation to that effect, nor do flag notification sites. And it is true that President Obama issued proclamations ordering the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff following similar events such as the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012, and the Boston Marathon bombing of April 2013.

Some have speculated that the lack of a presidential proclamation might be because as tragic and senseless as they were, the Chattanooga deaths involved members of the U.S. armed forces who are considered to have been killed in the line of duty (unlike the other mass shooting events referenced above, which involved civilian deaths), and while individual states often lower their flags to honor local natives or residents who die in the service of their country, doing so at a national level would require the President to pick and choose among service deaths to decide which to so honor.

Others noted that that speculation seemingly ran counter to the fact that President Obama did issue a proclamation directing the lowering of U.S. flags after the November 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left thirteen people dead and another thirty-two wounded (both military and civilian, although predominantly the former). In the Fort Hood case, however, the shooter was himself a member of the U.S. Army, and the attack was classified as an act of workplace violence.

Read more at http://m.snopes.com/2015/07/19/chattanooga-flags-half-staff/#BIQRsb5WCsxx0Goe.99

The U.S. Flag Code says: "the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law." In my view the phrase after "or" allows the Mayor to order the U.S. & other Flags to half-staff on City property, but no other Federal or State institution or facility within the City is bound by the Municipal order. I also think such an order should be done by Mayoral Proclamation with a specific time frame mentioned. I think honoring 5 military service members killed in a terrorist attack on our home soil with flags at half-staff is in accordance with recognized customs and practices,

"In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving on active duty, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff, and the same authority is provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia with respect to present or former officials of the District of Columbia and members of the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia."

To honor the five service members killed in Chattanooga, TN, on Jul 16th, 2015, President Obama orders flags be flown at half-staff at White House and other federal sites until Saturday, July 25th (sunset).

BERNIE, Mayor Panto lower the flag as my spouse ,Peggy's requested for the fallen. We have a son ,a Marine that essentially replace my absents in the 2nd Marine Division ,40 years from the date I came back here. She and I have been to Camp Lejeune on several occasions and we fell each and every Marine is my son too,to include the medical corpsmen that live with Marine units. The community is SO TIGHT, you don't even have to worry about your elderly mother anyplace, because she will be treated as some Marine's family if she was in any trouble. Take this statement to the bank--THIS WAS A DELIBERATE ATTACK ON MARINES and not on the JOINT services ,or the government itself.The FBI ,just today said TODAY, this character was a terrorist AND he chose to SHOOT AT the Marine Corps folks ,not the National Guard or the U.S. Air Force or Coast Guard-The Marine Corps. I will surmise, guesstimate that it was retaliation for something having to do with the 2nd battle of FALLUJAH, in 2006. Mayor Panto did not do what he did as a stunt at the expense of dead people.He did it because it was right,I of all people can talk about issues from his first administration , but I am proud of his actions now on this issue,This City is a legacy patriot venue.

Sorry the part after terrorist----- is my opinion .In fact the term NAVAL FACILITY might mean Marines there too because the official logo and designation for just over a year is now ----------------------------The Department of the Navy and Marine Corps------------------------

Peter, I agree the flag should be lowered, but that needs to come from the president or the Governor in the state where it occurs. Panto needs to concentrate on his job, not the theatrics or counting how many people agree with him.

We need to remember that this is aboutthe servicemen who lost their lives. The attention about who lowered the flag and who did not is a disservice to the lives of these men. The press attention about the flag is inappropriate and unwanted. Let us remember Sulivan, Wyatt, Wells, Holmquist and Smith and divert our attention away from political leaders that the press is pushing. THE MORNING CALL has devoted too much space to Easton leading the nation in lowering the flag, Most people would not know that the comotion was about marines who were killed.